good morning. one-two punch. a major storm stretching in the southeast all the way into new england set to bring flooding rains and heavy snow today to millions while another huge one is brewing in the west. these cuts don't have to happen. a warning from president obama earlier this morning about what looming budget cuts will mean for you if no deal is reached. he says it's everything from big flight delays to major layoffs. we're live at the white house. and the first lady gets footloose. michelle obama shows off her lighter side as she busts a move with jimmy fallon. and she's proving she knows how to get a big laugh. today, saturday, february 23, to get a big laugh. today, saturday, february 23, 2013. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning. welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm erica hill. how about the first lady with the moves there. >> great moves. jimmy fallon -- who did we thought he looked like? >> there was discussion in the studio that jimmy fallon was looking a little tina fey-esque. >> nice to have the first lady in the building for that. >> yes. >> there's a little of the performance. it looks like they had time to rehearse this. >> the evolution of the mom dancing. >> from "pulp fiction." meantime, we have serious news including oscar pistorius, the former olympian spending his first full day free bail today. we'll look at what's next for him as he prepares to face murder charges in the shooting death of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. and lance armstrong facing a new legal challenge this morning, as well.

this one comes from the u.s. government, and it could cost him millions of dollars. we'll explain more about that coming up in a few minutes. plus, if you're a parent, it's likely happened to you. your kids whining and crying about not wanting to go to bed. >> never, never, sawyer. >> one little boy in massachusetts took it a step further. he called 911. mom and dad, i'll show you. coming up, the tale of the tape and what mom had to say. >> that's a good one. you may have tried karaoke singing. we've all had those nights in a bar, at home. chances are, you have never done it inside a taxi. we'll show you, introduce you to the karaoke cab, which has become a big hit. you see why. ♪ >> nice. jenna rocking it out. we'll even give it a whirl ourselves on the plaza. you may want to turn the sound down for that part. >> it's hard to top the rehearsal at 6:00 in the morning on the cold plaza, trying tojio drink. >> there was water. >> you know what i meant.

>> coffee -- >> karaoke. we do begin with the wintry weather which is hitting from coast to coast. dylan is tracking the storm, keeping very busy on a saturday morning. good morning. >> good morning for sure. we have a lot of wet weather to talk about. right now it's mostly across the southeast. moisture streaming in from the gulf of mexico. so that's part one to the storm with heavy rain coming down across alabama and down into georgia. moving into the carolinas. but we are focusing on the northeast. especially new england which has been getting hit by storm after storm. we do is winter weather advisories in effect across especially interior new england, back into central pennsylvania, and also into portions of western virginia, as well. we could even see a little bit of freezing rain in northwestern new jersey. but it looks like we'll end up with about three to six inches. again, we have to overcome some of the rain that's out there right now. at least on the leading edge of the storm. that's going to eat away at some of the snowfall totals. highe efest elevations, sikd to

inches. boston, over a few inches. then we're focusing on the northwest through idaho, nevada now. we do have snow coming down. and this is going to turn into another big storm for the midwest as we go into early next week. here you see the time frame on this particular computer model. notably the european model which has been very good at forecasting these snowstorms well in advance. so far this season. saturday to tuesday, in that time frame, you could see snow is going to overspread the midwest once again. kansas city could be the bull's eye just like it was last week, and the midwest could end up with 6 to 12 inches of snow. that's something we'll watch heading into early next week. erica? >> thanks. there's a storm of another kind brewing in washington today. we're less than a week now away from mandatory government spending cuts going into effect. just this morning the president warned how it could affect you if congress fails to act. kristin welker is at the white house with more on that. good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning to you.

president obama has said he plans to have conversations with congress this weekend and into next week. but with both sides dug it, it seems increasingly likely that the sequester will go into effect. in his weekly address, president obama said it's up to congress to act. >> here's the thing -- these cuts don't have to happen. congress can turn them off any time with just a little compromise. they can pass a balanced plan for deficit reduction. they can cut spending in a smart way and close wasting tax loopholes for the well off and well connected. >> reporter: in an effort to pressure congress, the obama administration has really been painting a dire picture of what will happen if the sequester kicks in. on friday, outgoing transportation secretary, ray lahood, warned the faa will have to furlough 47,000 employees which he argued could slow air travel. >> travelers should expect delays. flights to major cities like new

york, chicago, and san francisco and others could experience delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours because we have fewer controllers on staff. delays in these major airports will ripple across the country. >> reporter: the administration has also warned 800,000 civilian defense department workers will be furloughed. 10,000 teachers and educators could be laid off, and some border patrol agents would see a decrease in hours. house speaker john boehner's office responded late friday saying the president has been "far more interested in holding campaign-style rallies than urging his party in the senate to find a solution." now the sticking points are funding with president obama calling for new tax revenue and republicans saying they want to see this worked out through entitlement reform and spending cuts. but with just six days, there is really no resolution in sight. lester? >> kristin welker this morning. thanks. here's erica.

>> lester, thank you. turning now to south africa where former olympian oscar pistorius is spending his first full day out on bail. michelle kaczynski is in pretoria with more. good morning. >> reporter: hi, erica. oscar pistorius went to his uncle's house with his family after being released on bail. one of the condition of which is he can't go back to his own home. the scene of the alleged crime. he has to turn in his passports, guns, can't use drugs or alcohol, needs permission to leave town, and has to check in with police twice a week starting monday. he may even start training again monday even though his agent canceled all of his upcoming races. his coach says he thinks that might be the best thing for him now to clear his mind. but when asked, well, isn't training the last thing on pistorius' mind after losing his girlfriend, the coach didn't comment. pistorius sobbed, his body shaking as that ruling was read yesterday. the judge had said he had problems with pistorius' account about what happened the morning model reeva steenkamp was killed, questioning why pistorius rushed into the danger

that he had claimed was so terrifying, why he didn't ask who was in the bathroom he fired shots into, and why he didn't go searching for his girlfriend when he realized she wasn't in the bed. still, he ruled that pistorius is not a danger and likely won't run from justice. he doesn't have to be back this court again until june. erica? >> michelle kosinski. thank you. karen desoto is a former prosecutor. you watched this with a lot of interest as many of us did yesterday. it was very long. and we got a lot of detail from both sides. did it give you any sort of indication as to how this trial might play out? >> first of all, we know that it's going to be a madhouse, but it was a four-day bail hearing which is unusual. there were a lot of details which is very good for the defense because now the defense is doing their discovery, and it kind of gives you a blueprint of where the prosecutor is going and where the details are going fall. >> good for the defense and also, i would think you would say yes as a former prosecutor, good for the prosecution, too. while some of that was laid out in this statement that was given

by pistorius and his attorneys, it does really give a better sense to the prosecution, as well. >> of course. i mean, listen, he's admitting -- there's a dead body, she was shot, she was in a locked bathroom. the prosecutor has a pretty solid case. maybe not murder, maybe it will be the lesser included offense of culpable homicide. but at the end of the day, he admits that he killed her. what level of culpability is really what's at stake at the trial. >> what happens next? because there's this hearing now, a preliminary hearing on june 4. that kind of sets up the actual trial, is that correct? >> right. the trial will be probably within the year. but there will be a lot of motion practice, a lot of evidentiary hearings. just like we have over here, it's very similar. so that will be the next step. obviously he's out on bail now. he can ail in his defense and -- he can aid in his defense and the prosecutor will be investigating, looking at character witnesses. all the rumors that are swirling will be investigated. >> any surprise that he was, in fact, granted sfwhal. >> no, that's not -- bail? >> no, that's not unusual.

usually you let the defendant out to aid in his defense. this is a world-renowned person, very inspirational. it's really down to flight risk and whether he's a risk to the community. i mean, if it is a cold-blooded murder, obviously what may have been a crime of passion, domestic violence involved, very serious in nature but not a harm to anyone else. >> there are things that are different in the south african justice system. >> yes. >> number one being, which will look different to most of us, there's not a jury. >> yes. this is very interesting because of apartheid and racial discrimination. they moved from jury trials to judge panels which is very interesting as an attorney. i can tell you my bench trials are very different than my jury trials. and the reason for that is because you have a tendency to be more technical and less emotional. if his defense is the intruder defense -- >> you're more technical with a judge than a jury? >> correct. you're more formal, more law oriented. whereas with jurors you're going to be a lot more emotional which would have been good for an intruder defense because you want to play on jurors' emotions. you're not going to have that

with three judges. they've seen it all, been there. unfortunately in his case, that's probably a minus and not a plus for him. >> as a former prosecutor, anything that you heard over these four days, that you read, that struck you in the way things are being handled and said? >> yes. well, obviously, the dna evidence really isn't that important when you're looking at the intent behind what happened. but yeah, 3:00 in the morning, i can tell you a lot of scenarios that i've seen with women in any country that are locked in the bathroom. it's the same old factual scenario. they get in an argument. she locks herself in the bathroom. it's expletive, expletive, expletive, gets out of there or else i'm going to break down the door. that's not a surprise. any woman who's locked in a bathroom at 3:00 in the morning in their own home, odds are that there was a fight. and obviously those details will bore out. i can tell you i've seen it on both sides. both as a public defender and prosecutor. women and children locked in a bathroom at 3:00 in the morning, there's really no good end there. >> nice to have you here this morning.

thank you. lester? >> erica, thanks. lance armstrong faces a serious new legal challenge this morning. the justice department is suing him for using performance enhancing drugs during the tour de france. our justice correspondent, pete williams, has more from washington. pete, good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning. for years, lance armstrong has successfully avoided getting dragged into court over cheating allegations, but now the u.s. government is going after him, joining a lawsuit that seeks millions of dollars. the justice department has joined a suit filed two years ago by floyd landis, one of armstrong's former teammates who has already admitted cheating. it claims that when armstrong raced for the u.s. postal service team a decade ago in the tour de france, he defrauded the government by violating its strict ban on illegal drugs while all the way claiming he didn't use them. here are two of the key claims -- that landis saw armstrong store and then reinject his own blood to boost his performance and that armstrong twice gave landis banned hormones before races. last month, armstrong generally admitted cheating in an

interview with oprah winfrey, saying the issue of performance enhancers was a given for world-class racers like putting air in tires or water in bottles. arnold strong could face huge -- armstrong could face huge fines because the postal service paid at least $30 million to sponsor his racing team during the period covered by the suit. armstrong's lawyers say they tried for weeks to reach a settlement, and they claim that no matter what he did, the government still came out ahead. in a written statement, his lawyers say the postal service's only study showed that it benefited tremendously from its sponsorship, benefits totalling more than $100 million. the justice department made it clear that armstrong's admissions during that tv interview will be a factor as this goes forward. should be noted, this is a civil suit, not a criminal case, so there's no possibility of jail time. most of these cases end in a settlement, and this does turn up the pressure on armstrong to reach one, lester. >> pete williams this morning. pete, thanks. let's check some of the morning's other top stories from jenna wolfe. welcome back. >> thank you very much.

nice to be here. we're going to start with the entire fleet of the pentagon's f-35 fighter jets which is grounded this morning after a cracked engine blade was discovered on the air force version of the jet during a routine inspection. the pentagon immediately grounded all f-35s even though the navy and marine corps use different versions. the engine is being sent to the manufacturer to figure out how that happened. if you have an f-35, don't fly it today. sort of wait. boeing is hoping to get its 787 dreamliners flying as soon as possible. the company's executives met on friday with the faa to talk about the ongoing battery issues that grounded that 787 dreamliner fleet in the first place. boeing is proposing a fix for the batteries even though they still don't know what caused them to overheat. the faa says it is reviewing the proposal very closely. so you can now add microsoft to the list of companies that says it's been hacked. a small u.n. of computers were infected -- small number of computers were intected with malware. it's similar to the ones that

plagued apple, facebook, and twitter. doesn't appear that customers' information is affected. dangerous flooding in australia has killed at least two people. look at the pictures. many drivers left stranded because of the rising waters there. nearly four months after superstorm sandy ravaged the northeast, the last of the residents forced out are finally being allowed to return home. they're finding they have a lot of work ahead of them. more than half of the homes in this new jersey community are beyond repair. the mayor says it will probably take about three to five years to rebuild. sometimes it pays to return a ring that was accidently dropped in your cup. that's the moral. here's the story -- we'll do this backwards today. we told you about the homeless man last week and how he returned a diamond ring dropped in his change cup by accident. get this -- because he did the right thing, thousands of strangers donated money to that homeless man, billy ray harris. and not just small change money. more than $90,000 has been gathered on an online site set up by the husband of the woman

who dropped her ring in the first place. first lady michelle obama has moves, will use them, and embraces her inner laugh track. kicking off her "let's move" initiative visiting jimmy fallon. [ cheers ] ♪ >> there is mrs. obama and jimmy doing their version of the different types of mom dancing. my mom's at home going thorse ae some sweet moves. they talked about her and the president's date nights, how -- how can i read and watch and be serious? what kind of music she and the girls listen to, i know. and also what sort of reality tv -- this one, unlike all -- >> the sprinkler. >> is that what it's called? >> it is. my cousin rocks that. she taught to me. >> the sprinkler? why don't -- you should label all the moves. there were a couple. what is that -- >> this is the sprinkler. >> oh, that's the sprinkler. >> i did two moves -- >> then you go shhhh and back.

>> i am so 1988. so far behind. >> we'll work on it. don't worry. >> lawn moves. >> exactly. home depot's like, wait, that's our move. that's our move right there. all right. dylan dreyer is back with the rest of the national forecast. >> and not doing moves, that's for sure this morning. yeah, the roger rabbit, all staying out of might have repetoire this morning. we're looking at some pretty big storms across the country. we have heavy rain across the southeast that will turn into some snow in the northeast. especially interior new england where we could end up with about three toi six inches, three to nine in the higher elevations. another storm is moving through the rockies and approaching the midwest. early next week, another foot of snow possible, especially in t >> murky this morning and slippery spots on the road. storm along the coast. wet outlook today. should be drier tomorrow. today's forecast it will just

>> that is your last forecast. erica? >> thanks. pope benedict met with italy's president this morning just five days before he steps down as the leader of the catholic church. there's some speculation today about whether an american cardinal could replace him as pope. anne thompson is in vatican city with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. there's all kinds of chatter here at the vatican where pope benedict xvi is back on the job after his week-long lenten retreat. he appointed new bishops today to italy and mexico as people here at the vatican are getting ready for what are expected to be huge crowds for his final two events. meanwhile, there are many questions about this momentous occasion such as who will lead the church that are still

unanswered. a week before pope benedict retires and there is still no clear front-runner to succeed him. however, there is a long shot. new york's gregarious cardinal timothy doland. >> i'll do anything to get you guys to church. >> reporter: praising catholic circles for his charismatic persona, his efforts to revitalize the church, and fighting the obama administration's contraception coverage mandate. but this week, doland was deposed about how he dealt with abusive priests as archbishop of milwaukee. what impact is this going to have on cardinal doland -- >> i think it will have zero impact on cardinal doland's leadership within the conclave because he is a known quantity. he's a known man of integrity. he is known as someone who can communicate the catholic faith positively. >> reporter: here in rome, another american cardinal, roger mahony, the retired archbishop of los angeles, is under fire for his role in moving and

shielding abusive priests. not a contender for the papalcy, he faces his own deposition after which he will vote for the new pope. this week, an italian cardinal told a local newspaper mahoney should stay home and some american catholics agree. >> all cardinals should be held to the highest standard. anyone whose hands are tainted should be -- should refrain from voting. >> reporter: cardinals from ireland and belgium are also mired in scandal. but that's not likely to stop them from voting. the vatican says all cardinals under the age of 80 must vote, unless they are seriously ill or otherwise prevented from traveling. one of the things we'll be watching in the pope's final days is whether he decides to move up the start date of the conclave to choose his successor. erica? >> anne thompson, thank you. lester? >> thanks. here at home, the oscars are just one day away with three best picture contenders based on real-life events.

but how much is fact, and how much is fiction? here's nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: in "argo" the story of a rescue during the iran iran hostage crisis, there's an intense chase scene at the end that never happened. >> in order to make an exciting and entertaining film, you have to stretch the truth. >> reporter: artistic license, says one critic. >> you have to dramatize things a little bit. that's just the way moviemaking is. >> reporter: "zero dark thirty," about the killing of osama bin laden, began with a torture scene even the filmmakers say they never confirmed produced useful clues. >> now, now -- >> reporte in steven spielberg's "lincoln," they got a key fact wrong. connecticut's two congressmen did not vote against the 13th amendment ending slavery. current connecticut congressman joe courtney wrote spielberg that "placing the state of connecticut on the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery is a distortion of

easily verifiable facts." agreed, said turner classic movies host ben mankowitz. >> i think if the movie is a movie about the passage of the 13th amendment or it's a movie about whether we're going to torture people in the united states of america, you bet they -- their feet should get held to the fire. >> reporter: oscar has celebrated dozens of films over the years that were based on true stories but then imagined characters and dialogue and whole scenes. from patton to "a beautiful mind" to "the king's speech," filmmakers have relied on artistic license to create historical dramas, not documentaries. if some confuse the two, that does worry historians. >> as a teacher, i find that what students know or think they know about history often comes from movies. you have to disabuse them of some misconceptions and give a broader context of history than hollywood movies are capable of giving them. >> reporter: in the oscar spotlight this year, three movies about significant historical events, along with the storyteller's age-old

question why let the facts get in the way of a good story. nbc news, los angeles. there's a lot more to come including the search for suspects in the deadly shoot-out on a las vegas strip that intensifies as we learn more about the three victims. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on a saturday on "today," plus-size fashion all the rage on the runway. we'll look at the amazing rescue mission dedicated to saving endangered pandas. you'll say aw a lot. some say it may not be worth it. first, these messages. >> good morning everyone. i am lisa robinson. it is 7:25. here's a look at some of the stories we are following this morning. johns hopkins hospital former patient of dr. levy.

the lawsuits sterm from the case of dr. levy the obgyn who killed himself after learning he was under investigation foresee kretly photographing his patients during the exams. patients are able to gather more information about what happened in the case because of subpoena power. we look forward to finding out what happened. we look forward to finding out why this was allowed to happen. >> i would like first and foremost for all of his patients to receive some sort of compensation. >> there were more than 1,000 patients in dr. levy's care since 1988. they add most of them don't know if they were photographed or videotaped. the man recently passed overseas the city's police training academy is now leaving the department. you may recall last week police commissioner anthony bats named major joseph smith as the new director following an accidental shooting that seriously injured a trainee a week and a half ago.

according to police 27 year veteran lieutenant colonel will now assume that role. we have also learned that two of the 6 officers suspended after the trainee shooting has been reinstated. this comes after word the wounded trainee shot in the head than discharged from johns hopkins. >> anne arundel county has a county executive laura newman was sworn in considered a surprise pick. the business woman beat out 14 other republicans to take the top seat before the council's appointment new man had been the ceo of howard county economic development authority. we are back in a moment with

>> clouds and mist and drizzle out there this morning. doesn't really show up that well on the radar. the more significant rains light rain down to the south of us occurring right now. some of the drizzle could be freezing on contact with cold surfaces especially north and northwest of the city. there could be a few slippery spots out there. temperatures are beginning to rise a little bit. the airport is now above freezing at 34 degrees. 100 percent the humidity that's why it is so misty out there. winds north barometric pressure. off the coast during the day today. as long as it's nearby we stand a chance to see some rain. light rain here. heavier rain to the south of us. high temperatures will be in the 40s. >> thanks, john. thank you for joining us. we are back in 25 minutes with another update.

see you then. we are back on this saturday morning, february 23, 2013. still chilly in many areas of the country. parts of new england this morning expecting the third major snowfall in as many weeks. and there is nasty weather coming all across the country. many of you know all too well about that. we'll get dylan's forecast for your area coming up in just a few minutes. i'm erica hill inside studio 1a alongside lester holt. also coming up this half-hour, saving the giant panda. it's an endangered species. the bears are -- they're adorable. i mean, there's no contest here. saving them, though, requires a high-tech, expensive operation, and critics are questioning whether it's actually worth all

of that money for one species. we'll get into that. controversy, debate. plus, a new look is taking over fashion runways. plus-sized models showing that full-figured women have a place on the catwalk, too. and their story reads like a movie. two teenagers set to walk the red carpet tomorrow at the oscars. they're the -- some of the most unlikely stars probably around. but what a great, inspirational story they have. we'll bring you that ahead. >> great story. later, a story every parent can relate to, a little boy who didn't want to go to bed. you won't believe what he did to get back at his mom. a tantrum would have been okay compared to what he did. >> yes. >> we'll tell you about that. >> for once, a tantrum probably would have been welcome. we begin with the search for suspects in connection with a deadly shooting on the las vegas strip. new information about the victims. we have more from los angeles. good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. the driver of the maserati, kenny clutch cherry, was an aspiring rapper. while he had minor run-ins with

the law several years ago, so far nothing explains why he would have been targeted for murder. authorities are hoping ever-present surveillance cameras in sin city provide the break they need. today investigators are scouring recordings from surveillance cameras. both inside and around the aria hotel. >> there is quite a bit of video available that we are at this point in time retrieving. >> reporter: hoping they hold the clues that could provide the break they need in thursday's horrific shooting. the crime scene has been cleared. and the vegas strip is back open for business. still, authorities don't seem any closer to determining what led to the shooting. the gunman still on the loose. police say it began with an argument at the valet stand at the aria. the conflict continued on the vegas strip, witnesses said, when someone in a black range rover fired several shots at a gray maserati. the maserati spun out of control, hitting several cars, including a taxi that exploded. three people were killed.

the taxi driver identified overnight as michael bolden, his passenger, sandra sutton wasmond, and the driver of the maserati identified as kenneth clutch cherry. ♪ >> reporter: the father of three was an aspiring rapper who rapped about his beloved sports car in a recent music video. >> you never want it leave your children leave before you leave. i didn't have him long enough. so i have to live with that. >> reporter: news of the shooting and accident stunned tourists. >> terrifying really. i mean, we're staying at caesar's. it definitely could have been us. >> we're from a small town in missouri. and, you know, things like that don't happen. i'm like, honey, that happened right out the window. crazy. >> reporter: this manhunt spans four states. authorities say they're looking for a black range rover with paper plates. the vehicle they say may contain the gunman who turned the vegas strip into a scene of tragedy. erica? >> thank you. want to head out to the plaza for a check of the weather

from dylan. good morning again. good morning, guys. good morning, everyone. it is a little dreary in the northeast right now. but all of this moisture is heading in. it is raining very heavily down across the panhandle of florida, through alabama, and into georgia, as well. that's why we have flash flood watches and even some flash flood warnings in effect. you can see through southeastern alabama, we are going to see perhaps up to three or more inches of rainfall in the area. we'll also see some thunderstorms, too. that's why northern florida has the best chance of seeing even more rain than that. it will turn into snow in new england, especially interior new england. three to six inches of snow is possible. perhaps up to nine inches in higher elevations. and we've got more snow moving through idaho into montana, that will spread into the midwest as we continue into early next e >> good morning. a coastal storm is beginning to develop most of the moisture will be south of us. we will be cliped by a chance for slight rain today maybe a few slippery spots this morning.

today we make it into the 40s. >> for your forecast any time, you can always go to weather.com. we have a ninth birthday here. what's your name is. >> brynn. >> it is your first day in new york city. what do you do for 10? 10's the big one. go to hawaii -- >> yeah, that's probably what i would do. >> we got that one figured out. lester? >> always a good answer to anything go. to hawaii. thank you very much. giant pandas are one of the world's most high-profile endangered species even though it might sound shocking. there are now critics who are asking whether efforts to save the adorable bears are really worth the money and effort. here's more. >> reporter: it's easy to see

why pandas are the poster bears of the conservation movement. they're cute. >> they're very cute. they're incredibly cute. >> reporter: sarah becsal, a conservationist, has been working in china at the research base of giant panda breeding for 13 years. >> i think that infantile appearance engenders us to want to protect, protect, protect. >> reporter: with so few pandas left in the wild, scientists have been breeding pandas in captivity with the home of one day setting them free. a high-tech, expensive operation. female pandas are anesthetized and artificially inseminated. here's the result -- these cubs are just four months old they're so cute and so little. we were allowed to go into the nursery and watch them sleeping, eating, and learning how to walk. it's almost become like an industry. you know, trying to make as many pandas as possible. >> i would say that that's a fair way to explain it. >> reporter: an industry dedicated to saving the panda. what could be wrong with that? >> i think that pouring millions

and millions of dollars into one species of albeit incredibly cute animal is salacious. >> reporter: a wildlife expert for the bbc is one of a small but growing number of critics that think with so many species going extinct it makes no sense to spend so much money trying to save just one. >> i don't want the panda to be extinct. but ultimately, let's not waste vast amounts of money trying to prevent it when we could use that money far more efficiently, far more optimally somewhere else. >> reporter: he says all the pandas china's breeding will likely spend their lives in zoos, including zoos here in america, since china's industrial growth has left little space for them in the wild. and to have them as a zoo animal, to have them only living in captivity -- >> no point. >> reporter: sarah doesn't believe that saving the panda even in the wild is a lost cause. >> if we truly cannot save space for giant padas, how could --

pandas, how could we have hope for others if we can't save the one that we profess to love the most? >> reporter: scientists are doing everything they can to save this icon of wildlife conservation. for "today," kate snow, china. >> it an interesting conversation. that face -- those faces -- who doesn't want to save them? >> you can't not love that face. >> yeah. amazing animals. still to come, what's next for former olympian oscar pistorius now that he's made bail? up next, a different look on the runway. plus-size fashion shows now going mainstream. first, these messages. my wife takes centrum silver. i've been on the fence about it.

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so this year, make the most of it. fly like you've never been grounded. scream like you've never been shushed. let go like you have nothing to lose. and hold on to what matters most. it's your vacation. don't just take it. mean it. universal orlando. vacation like you mean it. this morning on "today style," plus-sized fashion shows. as annabel roberts shows, curvier figures are becoming all the rage on catw dscatwalks aro world. >> reporter: red carpet stars, adele, christina hendricks, and octavia spencer, part of a new

movement in hollywood -- curvy and proud. there's still nothing curve when he it comes to the catwalk. the models at london's mainstream fashion week were predictably thin. >> the fact that there isn't variation, that's a problem. and that is definitely a bad message to be sending out. >> reporter: jada is a plus-sized model, dress size 14. she founded a london fashion week event where all the models were plus size. similar events have taken place in new york for several years. sitting in the front row, a woman from oregon on a mission. >> plus-size women are constantly told all the time that they're not allowed to wear fashion, they're not allowed to feel beautiful. these events say you can. >> reporter: what are you hoping to achieve with this event? >> we are trying to educate people that plus size, curvy women can look great on the catwalk. and hopefully slowly but surely these will win the hearts of the plus-sized community. >> reporter: this model says no question attitudes are changing. >> i think it's very important. i think it's really that plus-size people themselves are making the change.

i think it's very empowering to women in general. >> reporter: singer adele was described as a little too fat by fashion guru karl lagerfeld. she hit back, "i represent the majority of women, and i'm proud of that." on the red carpet, she wears stunning designer gowns specially made for her fuller figure. for regular plus-size women, and that's more than half the female population in the u.s., clothes shopping can be a challenge. >> i constantly am told that my section is downstairs in a back corner near furniture or menswear usually. i'm sorry, i thought i was a woman. i was allowed to shop in women's wear. >> reporter: the hope is that thanks to fashion events like this and red carpet sensations like this curvy styles will become more fashionable. for "today," annabel roberts, nbc news, london. up next, two unlikely oscar guests. teens headed to the oscar red carpet after this. [ lane ] do you ever feel like you're growing old waiting for your wrinkle cream to work?

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one of the biggest films takes to the red carpet at the oscars, they'll be joined by two boys from a war-torn country. their lives read like a movie script. we have more from hollywood on the story. good morning. >> reporter: hey, lester, good morning to you. for most of the a-list actors and abtresses, getting it the red carpet will be like a local commute. two teenagers left a war zone behind, traveling more than 7,000 miles to be here for the oscars. and they're so close to pulling off the improbable. ♪ >> it's you! you look so big. >> reporter: to appreciate where these kids are today, you have to understand where they were just days ago. ♪ >> reporter: they're from war-torn afghanistan. for 14 you'd fuad, movies,

acting, and the oscars never crossed his mind. >> yeah. i never imagined, but i thought that i may go to some other where, but not to hollywood and not for oscars. >> reporter: like a real-life "slum dog millionaire," he's defied all odds, flying out of poverty into show business' biggest night. it started when american film director sam french literally plucked him from the street to play the lead in "buscoci boys." a short film about two broke kids dreaming of a better life, hoping to play afghanistan's national sport, buscoci. >> the film itself says that you can dream and that you should dream. and that that spirit of hope is never be sentencing wish -- be extinguished whether you're in a country of war or are extremely par. >> reporter: by most measures he was headed to a dead end, no one

could have predicted he'd be heading to hollywood. then the movie scored an oscar nomination for best live action short. fuad couldn't hold back the tears. ♪ >> reporter: now in america, they can't hold back the crush of cameras. >> i am hollywood star, it feels so good i'm here. >> reporter: all a first for the base. first time in the states. at run is earsal studios, their first -- universal studios, their first taste of movie magic. and their first fitting for a tux. you look good enough that james bond might be -- use think? >> i am like al pacino. >> reporter: james bond and al pacino. if this unlikely story ends with an oscar win, it would be the first for an afghan film. not bad for two kids from the streets of kabul.

and this really is like the little movie that could. took a village to fund it. they had to film in a war zone. and it took a lot of donations and goodwill to get the boys here to hollywood. true underdogs, lester. i think a lot of people will be rooting for them. >> i think so. thank you very much. people like those kind of stories. >> i love those kind of stories. i love rooting for the underdog. looking forward to seeing what happens. >> i want to see the film. a brief note. monday a complete wrap-up of the oscars. al roker and meredith vieira will be live in hollywood with the winners, fashions, and the parties. just ahead this morning, let's move -- "let's move" is more than just a slogan to michelle obama. we'll see how she's embracing the spotlight in her second term and embracing moves. first, this issed ed i

a lot more as we continue on

"today." land lance armstrong facing a serious new legal challenge. the lawsuit that could cost him millions of dollars. plus, former olympian oscar pistorius spends his first full day out on bail. we'll look at what is next for him. the intense ache made it hard to do the things that i wanted. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you.

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[ anouncer ] ihop's new griddle melts... made fresh and hot! hand crafted just for you. it's like a sexy sandwich. [ anouncer ] compare new griddle melts yourself. just $4.99. it's an epic breakfast sandwich. >> ghouled morning everyone. i am jennifer franciotti. the time is 7:55. here's a look at some of the top stories for you this morning. the public service commission has approved a bge request to increase gas and electric rates

starting today. state regulators approved about 65 percent of the utilities $175 million request. the bse says the average customer will see a 3.33 increase per month for electricity and a $2.70 hike each month for gas. >> we believe it's a good first step. at the end of the day it does fall short of what we need going forward. and we have a very complex and aging system. we have to continue to modernize it. >> the increase will go toward improvements to pipes wires, poles and transformers. it will help them meet state and federal safety and reliability mandates. the house yesterday passed the maryland offshore wind energy act. it heads to the senate finance committee. that creates the framework to establish a wind turbine farm off the coast of ocean city. residential rate payers would help sense dies the venture with 1.50 added to the monthly

utility bill. that would be for the next 20-years. the senate committee is expected to take up that measure on tuesday. anne arundel county has a new county executive. considered as a surprise pick she beat out 14 other republicans to take the topic. before that new man had been ceo of the development authority. of the development authority. back

hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. >> a little dreary out there a lot of drizzle and mist. some of that drizzle and mist is

frozen on contact north and norths west of us. take it easy for a while. most of the rain has been south of us. the actual rainfall with any kind of measurement. storms developing along the coast today. it will keep a threat of rain in our forecast today. around baltimore it should be relatively light. little more significant to our south and southeast. highs today 42 to 47. we will be warming up with the threat of drizzle and rain will stay with us all day long. 7-day forecast sunday we dry out. temperatures in the upper 40s. mid 40s to upper 40s monday. still dry but we pick up clouds. another wintery mix coming our way on tuesday. then again on thursday and friday. winter is it still here. >> thank you, john. thank you for joining us. back in 25 minutes with another update. see you then.

welcome back to "today." it's saturday morning, the 23rd day of february 2013. a damp morning, but not too terribly cold. nice crowd outside. remember, if you're ever in the neighborhood, we'll leave the welcome sign out for you. stop on by here at 49th and rockefeller plaza and join our crowd inside. i'm lester holt here with erica hill. coming up, another weekend, another storm. it's like a broken record. flooding throughout the southeast as next massachusetts and maine get ready to take the snow shovels out again. maybe they should leave them out. another storm churning in the west. we'll talk about that shortly. ahead, oscar pistorius.

it is his first full day of freedom. the former olympian, of course, after following his valentine's day arrest in the shooting death of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. we'll take a look at what is next for him at this point. then, new problems this morning for disgraced cyclist lance armstrong. the justice department has joined a civil lawsuit against him. they're alleging that his use of performance enhancing drugs essentially defrauded the postal service out of tens of millions of dollars. of course, he was their big spokesman. hear what they'll do to get the money back. plus, we're going to talk about first lady michelle obama. back in the spotlight as she makes a push for her anti-obesity campaign. and that included a little time with our friend, jimmy fallon, friday. she demonstrated how let's move is really just more than a slogan. speaking of weight loss, there's a new diet that lets you eat whatever you want most of the time. but there's always a butt -- >> i was going to say that -- >> it involves fasting. are the diets fads, or is there science behind them? we'll hear what our experts have to say about that.

and prepare yourselves. we've got the strobe lights, we've got the microphones. we've got the lyrics. ♪ >> we may not have the lyrics down, but we have the lyrics. >> on the monitor. >> inside the karaoke cab which is out on the plaza this morning, all the way from dallas. ♪ >> we'll give it a try. >> should be fun. we do want to begin this hour with another big blast of winter weather from coast to coast. dylan is tracking it all. dylan, good morning. a lot of the folks who have been hit before are going to get hit again, right? that seems to be the trend. every area that has been hit will get more wintry weather. this time it is heading back into new england. right now, it's dumping several inches of rain in the southeast. some areas could see up to a foot of snow as parts of the midwest are struggling this morning to get back on track. the snow kept on coming and coming and coming as so many were making their way home from their president's day vacations. a united plane slid off the runway in cleveland, but no one was hurt.

problems from the snowbound midwest airports rippled out to cause over 2,000 flight cancelations. >> there's probably ten people sleeping in the restaurant. >> reporter: as for drivers, they either had to dig it out, scrape it off or push it out. >> easy, easy. >> making for dangerous conditions on the roads. >> bad. real bad. icy and slippery. >> reporter: the minnesota highway patrol blames the snow for over 500 accidents. the roof gave way at this missouri dance school. before it was all over, there were 13 inches of snow on the ground in northern oklahoma, 13.5 in northeast missouri, and 18 inches in southern kansas. on michigan's upper peninsula, it was deep enough to lose the dog. [ laughter ] >> reporter: thoughts of summer. these milwaukee brewers fans are camping out in subfreezing temperatures to be the first in line when tickets go on sale this morning. the storm is losing strength as it moves east.

but in massachusetts where they've been hit by two major storms back to back, they're getting the roads ready for whatever comes their way. >> cracks in the surface and water gets in, the snow gets in, then it freezes. erupts and causes holes. we have to keep up with this. >> right now we're seeing the rain down across the southeast and heavy rain at that just south of atlanta. moving into southern alabama and northern florida. we will also see some thunderstorms, too. that could produce perhaps several inches of rainfall. winter weather advisories are in effect across the northeast. it's interior new england that will see most of the snow, especially with the highest elevations. could see sleet mixed in in northwestern new jersey. but six to nine inches would be isolated to interior areas moving up into new hampshire. and again, the highest elevations, most of southern new england would see about three to six inches with right on the border of one to three, along the coast in boston. out in the northwest, we are seeing another storm system move through idaho into nevada. this is going to be another

major storm for the midwest. and in earl -- an early look at what computer models are saying for early next week, we could see another six to 12 inches of snow in the midwest on top of the major storm they are digging out from right now. erica? >> just what they want to see. all right. thank you. we're going to get more of the national forecast coming up in a few minutes. do want to head to south africa, though, where former olympian oscar pistorius is spending his first full day out on bail. michelle kosinski is in pretoria with more. good morning. >> reporter: hi. oscar pistorius went to his unc ally -- his uncle's house now that he's not allowed to the scene of the crime, his mansion. one of many conditions of bail, still free he is. his coach says he wants to start training him again as soon as monday. oscar pistorius had reason to smile but didn't, heading home with his family. out of jail. an international pack of photographers chased the suv to his uncle's secure home.

when the two-hour ruling was read friday keeping a packed courtroom and the world on the edge of its seat -- >> the accused his made a case to be released on bail. >> yes! >> reporter: the emotion flowed. pistorius sobbed. his body shaking. his family overcome with relief. at one point holding hands and praying. >> we are relieved. the fact that oscar got bail today. at the same time, we are in mourning for the death of reeva with her family. >> reporter: a friend of victim reeva steenkamp was also in court. >> we pray that justice will prevail. and it's still very sad that we need to remember that somebody's lost a life. >> reporter: new a relative's home may be where pistorius will have to stay these next weeks, months, possibly more than a year leading up to trial. the judge ruled he will have to surrender his passports, guns, can't use drugs or alcohol,

can't go back home. has to have permission to leave town and will have to check in with police twice a week starting monday. this past week, his manager canceled upcoming races. sponsors like nike suspended contracts with him. his long-time coach says he wants him to start training again immediately. >> i think just to get his mind clear. the sooner he can start with the better work the better. >> reporter: in court the judge said he had difficulties with parts of pistorius' story. why he rushed toward where pistorius claimed was terrifying danger, didn't who was in the bathroom he fired into, never went searching for his girlfriend when he realized she wasn't in bed. but he ruled that a free pistorius is not a danger and in this case won't run. and he doesn't have to be back in court until june. this morning, reeva steenkamp's father gave an interview to a newspaper saying the only people who really know what happened

are oscar pistorius and god. and no matter how much money he has or how good his legal team is he will have to live with his conscience. if he speaks the truth, her father says, one day he might be able to forgive him. >> michelle kosinski, thanks. here's lester. >> thanks. lance armstrong faces a serious new legal challenge this morning. the justice department has joined one of his former racing teammates, suing him for using performance enhancing drugs during the tour de france. justice correspondent pete williams has more from washington. pete? >> reporter: lester, good morning. after successfully dodging formal cheating allegations for years, lance armstrong now has a powerful new adversary, the united states government suing him for tens of millions of dollars. the justice department has signed on to a lawsuit claiming that when lance armstrong raced for the u.s. postal service team a decade ago in the tour de france, he defrauded the government by violating its

strict ban on illegal drugs while claiming that he did not use them. the government joined a suit filed two years ago by floyd landis, one of armstrong's former teammates, who has already admitted cheating. >> it amps it up considerably. it's a complete game changer in the case. >> reporter: an expert on this kind of false claims action says it's a big escalation in the case against armstrong. >> no defendant wants to be united states versus me in the court ramp they'd rather be defending themselves against landis' lawyers than justice department attorneys. >> reporter: among the lawsuit's claims, that landis saw armstrong store and then reinject his own blood to boost his performance and that armstrong twice gave landis banned hormones before races. last month, armstrong gave a general admission of cheating in an interview with oprah winfrey. >> this issue of performance enhancers to -- again, to me that was, we're going to pump up our tires, put water in our bottles, and yeah, that, too, is going to happen. >> reporter: while this is a civil case with no possibility of jail time, armstrong could face huge fines if the

government wins. that's because the postal service paid at least $30 million to sponsor his racing team during the period covered by the lawsuit. armstrong's lawyers say they tried for weeks to reach a settlement with the justice department. and they claim that no matter what armstrong did, the government still came out ahead. in a written statement, his lawyers say, "the postal service's own studies show that it benefited tremendously from its sponsorship, benefits totaling more than $100 million." the justice department has made clear that armstrong's confessional tv interviewer will be a factor as this goes forward. most cases of this kind end in a settlement. this new action turns up the pressure on armstrong it reach one. lester? >> thanks. time for a check of some of the other top stories from jenna wolfe. good morning again. got. >> good morning, good morning, everyone. with the deadline looming, president obama is warning how you could be affected if congress fails to act on those automatic spending cuts. >> they'll slow our economy. they'll eliminate good jobs.

they'll leave many families who are already stretched to the limit scrambling tofein figure out what to do -- to figure out what to do. >> friday, transportation secretary lahood warned the faa will have to furlough 47,000 employees which he says could slow air travel. the president says he'll meet with congressional members this weekend. republicans insist any plan should be based only on entitlement reform and spending cuts. pope benedict continues to meet with world leaders before he steps down next week. the pope met with italy's president this morning just five days before he steps down as the leader of the catholic church. there is still no clear front-runner to replace the pope. the pentagon is grounding its entire fleet of f-35 fighter jets after a cracked engine blade was found in the air force version of the jet. the navy and the marine corps versions will stay on the ground until engineers can figure out how it got there. as skier lindsay vonn recovers from knee surgery after a horrific crash, she says she doesn't think she should have

been on the course in the first place. in a conference call friday, vonn said conditions were not safe. she's blasting race officials for letting the race go forward. vonn says conditions were much different by the time she raced than when she had inspected it hours earlier. of course, you can hear more in an exclusive interview with matt lauer coming up this monday on "today." a daring rescue on lake michigan all for dog, dog for one who was stuck on the ice and fell in the water. a person jumped in to help the dog dry land. we don't have video, but later the dog bought the passerby a drink at the local tavern. he did. of course he did. finally, in addition to no crying in baseball, there's also no clocking in baseball. some college players did not get the second memo leading to a monster fight in the middle of a game. the base brawl looked like this. watch the second baseman. shoves the runner after he got caught in a pickle. responds by clocking the second baseman. that will leave a mark. from there it was game on.

the benches from both sides clearing as everyone jumps in. the players involved were suspended four games. it was u.c. riverside beating sacramento state. aren't you from that area? >> i went to sacramento state. >> is that where you get your temper from? >> no. yeah -- mr. mellow here. >> i know. you are the sweetest person. i didn't know how that related to college baseball. >> thanks. dylan's back with a check of the national forecast. >> we are talking about major storms right now. in the southeast, in the form of rain. it will move into new england as we go especially into later this evening and tonight. i'd say about six to nine inches in the highest elevations in interior new england. -rain -- heavy rain through the day today. the middle of the country is dry, but early next week there's the chance we could see several more inches of snow e >> murky this morning and slippery spots on the road. storm along the coast.

wet outlook today. should be drier tomorrow. today's forecast it will just >> that is your latest forecast. erica? >> thanks. first it was her new bang. now first lady michelle obama is showcasing another lighter side of herself as she promotes her "let's move" campaign on. jimmy fallon she showed off some of her mom dance moves. classics likes sprinkler, raising the roof, and, yes, the shopping cart. kristen welker has that story. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama showcasing her lighter side on "late night." >> you don't have much time for tv. i mean, how do you have time for personal stuff? like how about dates? >> we try to do date nights.

it's tough, you know, barak has a 20-car motorcade. it's got men with guns, ambulance -- the ambulance is always there. i mean, how romantic can you be? >> you got an ambulance pulling up. >> you know, he's like -- we're going to go a romantic dinner. i'm like, is the ambulance coming? >> reporter: in her first sit down interview with jimmy fallon, the first lady marked the third anniversary of let's move, her campaign to promote healthy children. she even talked a little politics. >> dream team, michelle and hillary, 16. [ applause ] >> you know, i have my eye actually on another job. and i hear that when jay leno retires -- >> reporter: this caps a busy week for the first lady who released a new portrait and a psa with big bird. >> there's so many different activities you can do. >> reporter: she also appeared on "rachael ray," confessing what was behind her decision to get a new do. >> this is my mid-life crisis.

the bangs. >> reporter: it's been said president obama has come into his own in his second term, pushing controversial legislation like gun control and going after republicans with a new confidence. can the same be said of the first lady? past first ladies from laura bush to hillary clinton and nancy reagan assumed more prominent roles on the world stage. >> som first ladies do tend to take on more global roles in a second term. [ laughter ] >> reporter: for now, she certainly seems to have found her groove. for "today," kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. >> and jimmy fallon found his groove, too. still to come next, a little boy calls 911 to complain about his bedtime. got more than he bargained for. that's after these messages. one. two. three. my credit card rewards are easy to remember with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2% back on groceries.

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if you're a parent or take care of children, you'll relate to this story. the trials of bedtime, putting little ones to sleep and getting an earful instead. for one massachusetts mom, it turned into a close call after her son dialed 911. michelle franzen has the story. >> reporter: when shamain rosario's son danny refused to go to bed, he didn't just put his foot down. he pulled out all the stops. >> i'm going to call the cops on you. 911. he just pushes it into the phone. >> reporter: the 10-year-old boston area boy made the 911 call and then hung up, his mom said, when he heard the digs patcher. but police called right back. >> this is 911. somebody just called from there? >> yeah. it was my 10-year-old son. >> reporter: rosario explained what happened -- >> would you like to talk to the police? because you can't be calling 911 when there is no emergency.

because they need it for people who actually are in trouble. >> reporter: then she decided to turn the false 911 call into a lesson when a police officer was sent to the house. >> i said, make this a learning experience for him. and he went and spoke with him and told him it the consequences of that action. >> reporter: the boy wasn't charged for making the false calls, but family flowns say he got -- family friends say he got the message. >> he was really scared when she found out that they were sending the police. he was actually really scared because he didn't think that he was doing anything wrong. >> reporter: lesson learned. and score one for mom. for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. still ahead, a diet that lets you eat what you want most of the time. is it another fad, or can this one work? we'll get the experts to weigh in. first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," hollywood's biggest night has a new name and face.

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simple, wholesome goodness. kellogg's. start simple, start right. ♪ fishy-fishy ♪ fish...fish... mcbites...mcbites ♪ ♪ fish...fish... mcbites...mcbites ♪ ♪ fish...fish... mcbites...mcbites ♪ ♪ fishy-fishy! ♪ fish mcbites are succulent ♪ ♪ and breaded to perfection ♪ ♪ so take a trip to micky d's ♪ ♪ and get...get...get... get you some ♪ [ male announcer ] get hooked on mcdonald's new fish mcbites. pop 'em with tangy tarter or spicy buffalo sauce. catch 'em while you can. more...to love. ♪ fishy-fishy ♪ ba da ba ba baa >> good morning everyone. i am jennifer franciotti. the time is 8:25. here is a look at the top story this is morning. johns hopkins hospital soon to find former patients dr. levy.

the obgyn police say killed himself after learning he was under investigation foresee kretly photographing his patients during exams. the attorneys representing the patients are gathering more information about what happened in the case because of subpoena power. >> we look forward to finding out what happened. we look forward to finding out why this happened. >> i would like first and foremost for all of his patients to receive some sort of compensation. >> police say there were more than 1,000 patients in dr. levy's care since 1988. most of them don't know if they were photographed or videotaped. the man recently over the training academy for the police is leaving the department. police commissioner anthony bats named joseph smith as the new director that followed an accidental shooting seriously injuring a trainee.

lieutenant colonel will assume that role. two of the six officers who were suspended thafr a training shooting have been reinstated. the wounded trainee shot in the head than discharged from the hospital. on friday in annapolis considered a prize pick she beat out 14, rather 15 republicans before taking the seat. new man has been

>> we have mist in the area in some cases especially north, northwest of the city pavement surface and temperatures have been right around freezing. slippery spots are likely for the next hour or two until temperatures start to climb a little bit. as you can see here on the radar most of the significant rain that you can actually measure has been south of us. we have had this drizzle and mist with a few areas every once in a while of light train fall. really there's a low pressure center developing on the carolina coast. that will be off the prince law. we stand a chance to see rain drizzle and a lot of clouds. eventually drier air comes in from the west and that will be our sunday wle. 42 to 37. drizzle of rain it will be light.

northwest winds. thank you for joining us, nice energy to wake us up on a damp morning. we're back on this saturday morning, february 23, 2013. a lot of friend out here with us. and a lot of birthdays. 8, 10, 16. a good day to celebrate a birthday. good month for birthdays, right? >> i think it's a great month for a birthday. if yours happens to be on the 26th, you hit the jackpot. >> wow. everybody -- we -- >> what, tuesday? what are you talking about? >> i'm erica hill alongside lester holt, soon-to-be birthday girl jenna wolfe, and dylan dreyer. still to this hour, oscar countdown. plenty of buzz building. there's a new brand of humor many are expecting from this year's host, seth macfarlane.

and a lot of talks talking about how people are hoping this will get a new generation of viewers to tune in. how far will he take the jokes? we'll get into that. we'll talk about a new diet that essentially says you only need to restrict your food intake on two days out of the week. too good to be true? we'll consult the experts and find out if this maybe is the trick. and i had the tough task of heading down to florida this past week to check out the global pet expo. from buteauty products to fashi and food, we'll show you the latest products to pamper your pet. then we've been talking about this all morning -- we speak pretty well. we sing not as well. we are going to take a stab at karaoke taxi. >> uh-huh. >> it is the most fun you will have on four wheels. they have strobe lights, a smoke machine, microphone, lyrics. it is here on our plaza. >> there it is. >> and it drove here from dallas, texas, to join us. the meter is still running. and i think we are on the hook for that tab. hi, francisco.

there you go. >> i think we're putting it on lester's corporate card this time. >> it already is. that among other things -- >> did you say cut off? first, before we get to that -- i know you're ready for it -- we're getting a final check of weather from dylan. >> it is getting misty out here, not the best hair day for sure. we are looking at rain and snow possible in the northeast. it will be more of a new england snowstorm more than anything else. good morning. >> good morning. >> we are going to see the chance of interior locations of new england pick up about three to six, perhaps nine in the higher elevations. some elevations is possible in portions of pennsylvania and northwestern new jersey. heavy rain is the story down through the southeast, more snow is moving into wyoming. that is going to transform into another midwest snowstorm. you can see it's already moving back into nebraska and kansas by sunday. there is the chance kansas city by early next week could end up with another six to 12 inches of snow on top of the major snowstorm that area had this past

>> good morning. a coastal storm is beginning to develop most of the moisture will be south of us. we will be cliped by a chance for slight rain today maybe a few slippery spots this morning. today we make it into the 40s. >> this is you? >> yes. >> okay. both of you. we've figured it out. the future for the "today" show. lester? >> all right. thanks. all eyes will be on hollywood for tomorrow night's oscar awards. the show has a new name and a new host. but will it be enough to attract new younger viewers? mara schiavocampo has more. good morning. good morning. that's right. this year, the 85th annual

academy awards will simply be known as the oscars. one of the many ways the show is changing to keep up with the times and a younger audience. for hollywood's biggest night, the oscars are rolling out the red carpet for a very special group of guests -- young viewers. >> the oscars are 85 years old now. they're trying to look younger, fresher, hipper. >> reporter: the academy awards is one of the most popular tv events of the year, expected to bring in 40 million viewers. but the audience isn't just big, it's old. when the audience is old, that affects advertising dollars. >> they're looking for the coveted 18 to 49 age group to be watching the oscars. that's an age group that has kind of left the oscar telecast in the last decade where the average age of viewership has risen. >> reporter: so the awards show is changing with the times. first up, a new name. sort of. don't thank the academy, this week one of the show's producers said the 85th annual academy awards will now simply be called

the oscars. saying the old name is "musty." they are taking the fight on line, stepping up their twitter presence with the hash tag, #oscars. even the statue presenters will be younger, those leggy models replaced by college students. >> the producers of the show sayisa say, how would you like to be on the oscars? what would that feel like? i was like, that would feel great. >> reporter: the biggest change on stage -- host seth macfarlane. >> if you don't know who i am, pretend i'm donnies on manned. you'll be -- donnie osmond. you'll be fine. >> reporter: virtually unknown to many viewers, he directed 2012's "ted." >> that's my bad. >> reporter: the highest grossing r-rated comedy ever. his shows including the animated series "family guy" -- >> dad! >> reporter: have one of the youngest audiences on tv. >> i want to congratulate the nominees and also to congratulate those who weren't foam natal. you can stop doing interviews where you pretend that you had such a great time making the movie. >> reporter: for the academy, they hope macfarlane is a middle

ground as they hope younger hosts don't always mean younger viewers. in 2011, james franco and anne hathaway were panned. the age of viewers went up. even though macfarlane has a young fan base, they're counting on him to satisfy traditionalists. in the end it's not the hosts that determine viewership. >> it's the movies that are nominated and whether the general public feels like they have a connection to those movies. >> and ultimately the allure of younger stars like jennifer lawrence and jessica chastain may be the biggest draw, attracting new viewers with new faces. that star power brings people in. >> i take some exception to what he said at the end. i know it is about the movies. but we tend to remember the hosts in many ways more than the movies. >> that's true. but a lot of people tune in to root for movies. if you haven't seen "lincoln," movies that attract younger viewers, it could be hard. >> do you watch it start to finish? >> i do. they call it the female super bowl. >> i come in and out. mar athanks.

good to have you here. and monday, al roker and meredith vieira will have a complete wrap. the winners, fashions, and parties. erica? >> thanks. americans are obsessed with dropping pounds. and one new diet claims -- get this -- you can lose weight and you only have to count calories twice a week. but is this just the latest fad, or could it work? we have the story. ♪ >> reporter: diet, a four-letter word, and one of the most hated in the english language. >> all i had to eat was a chicken breast and case of diet coke. >> really? i haven't eaten anything since noon on friday. >> okay. >> reporter: what about a diet that lets you eat want you want most of the time? that's what dr. michael moseley proposes in his new book "the fast diet." feasting five days a week and fasting for two. >> it's not about starvation. it's about basically having periods where you eat less, and

the pattern that i'm trying at the moment is two days a week. five days a week you eat reasonably. and two days a week you eat a quarter of your normal calories. >> reporter: a quarter, meaning for those two days, average women are eating 500 calories. average men, 600. let's visualize this. on your off days, you can have any of this. maybe even some of all of it. but on your on days, you can only have this for 24 hours. >> this diet is not about gorge, binge, or get out of jail free card for eating. you can't confuse eating whatever you want all the time in these other five days because it won't work. weight loss is about calories in, calories out. >> reporter: despite what you may have read, that there's no calorie counting on the non-fast days, you still can't gorge yourself. dr. lauren greene, though, isn't buying the hype. >> most people on this i do rhett going to be huck -- diet are going to be hungry, irritable, feel wiped out and

yet overeat at the end of it. and it hasn't taught anybody anything, nor has it taught the body how to lose weight. >> reporter: pros or cons, would you go that far for ten pounds? >> i don't really think that i would be on board with it. just do it the old-fashioned way. >> it might be worth giving it a shot to suffer for two days. >> absolutely not. i couldn't live on 500 calories a day. i would die. ♪ >> reporter: another day, another diet, another dream. for "today," nbc news, new york. up next, products galore for your four-legged friend. dylan and bosco take us inside the global pet expo. first, these messages. ♪ i -- i got it, i got it made

♪ i got it made, i got it made ♪ i got it made ♪ fresh at subway ♪ breakfast made the way i say [ male announcer ] at subway, you got breakfast made. like an under 200 calorie steak egg white & cheese. subway. eat fresh. like an under 200 calorie steak egg white & cheese. tand delicious, soft caramel. to fill you up and keep you moving, whatever your moves. payday. fill up and go!

with thermacare heatwraps. thermacare works differently. it's the only wrap with patented heat cells that penetrate deep to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles. for up to 16 hours of relief, try thermacare. ♪ and they called it puppy love ♪ your fact for the day -- 62% of american households have at least one pet. the set has at least one pet, as you can see. that's 380 million animals, and as dylan found out, there's an entire industry dedicated to making sure our pets have everything they could possibly want. >> this is posk oh. yeah, she is making her --

bosco. yeah, she is making her television debut. earlier this week, first time on a plane. we attended the global pet expo. what we saw blew us both away. every dog has its day, and today is bosco's. my 11-pound miniature schnewser who flew 700 miles with me to attend the global pet expo in orlando, florida. ♪ >> reporter: more than 900 companies from around the world showcased products for dogs, cats, birds, fish, and retiles. that's 11 football fields worth of treats and treasures. something for every season, style, and sensible. there are products of all kinds for all sorts of pets. how necessary are these products? >> because the pets give us unconditional love in return, no matter what kind of poet it is, we tend to want to reward pets in human terms. so it necessary? yeah. >> reporter: there are 380 million pets in the u.s., and

62% of american households own at least one of them. making up a $53 billion industry. this isn't a dog and pony show. it's the real thing. >> i think i put them on the wrong feet. >> reporter: from pugs, yes -- from ughs, yes, uggs for dogs, to chicken coops. anything but cagey. i could live in here. it's bigger than my apartment. all of our furry and feathery friends have something to keep their heads, shoulders, knees, and toes, warm, cool, and dry. i'm one of millions who dotes on my pet. seeing the trend, there's a lot of beneficial products out there. >> one of the trends that we keep seeing is the natural and organic foods and the like. the natural and organic products, technology there's breakst. louis coming. >> reporter: there are products that make pets feel beautiful. >> every time you buy one, we donate one to a dog in need. >> reporter: and out. >> good girl. >> reporter: some that keep them

safe like this collar with a gps tracker. >> this product allows your pet to give them a text or e-mail when they're in trouble. >> reporter: and busy with ones that work off the pounds and some that pack them on but taste oh, so good. bosco, sit. whether your best friend is big or small, whether they swim, walk, or crawl, the global pet expo has something for all. and i have to vouch for the pedicure. it's still on, and mine -- >> pet-icure? >> i should have. i. >> i thought but. >> that was good. pet-icure. >> it lasts longer than mine. >> are you going to get matching pedicures? >> no, i only got one paw. >> was there something to bring snowman. >> this lar and the leash are -- this collar and leash are brand new. i have a whole bag of treats. >> she's a cutie. >> thank you. she's behaving very well. up next, parties lights, disco ball, and microphones. all you need to get your party

started in this cab called the karaoke cab. it's on the plaza. we'll give it a try. first, this is "today" on nbc. u.

it doesn't matter the language, it's an experience we all can share anywhere. >> you have to admit we all have tried it or thought about trying it or sounded terrible trying to try it. >> or been amazing -- >> or been amazing. i haven't experienced that. so here's the deal -- as i found out, when karaoke comes to you, it is an entirely different tune. in dallas, texas, the most fun on four wheels takes place right here. ♪ hey i just met you and this is crazy ♪ >> thanks to francisco's karaoke taxi. how do people react when they

see that van coming by? >> when i stop the car, people get excited. do you know what i do? lock the doors and leave the window this small just to talk. >> reporter: inside, more than $5,000 worth of gadgets and gimmicks. you have strobe lights. you have the black light. you have a smoke machine, a bubble machine. what don't you have in this van? >> i don't have a toilet. >> reporter: oh, thank goodness. the lack of facilities, not keeping anybody away. the karaoke taxi books up months in advance. what's been your most profitable night? >> $825. >> reporter: the cost for more fun than anyone can handle -- $75 an hour or about $2 a mile. and what do you get for that? karaoke. your choice of songs, multiple microphones, and the much, much needed words. do people think you're crazy? >> people think i am crazy. we have to be crazy to have a good time. ♪ oh baby >> reporter: a good time on the

inside that leaves onlookers song struck. [ laughter ] >> reporter: karaoke transition -- empty orchestra is a craze that in this country makes up a $370 million industry. ♪ sweet caroline >> reporter: to take on these cowboys -- ♪ >> reporter: i needed to bring out the big guns. ♪ >> reporter: real estate agent by day and karaoke god by night, drew andrews is the reigning national karaoke champion. is there a song that it's like everybody's go-to song? >> back in the day, i used to sing "cold as ice." ♪ she's cold as ice i'm awful. and my secret weapon -- ♪ lady you're my knight in shining armor and i love you ♪ i feel like i'm going to be so good at this. >> you got that strong, deep -- >> reporter: it's also a cold. my plan -- lay low. sing small, and when the time is

right, release my inner diva. ♪ we are never ever ever getting back together ♪ ♪ what you want baby i got it ♪ ♪ d.j. played ♪ ♪ >> reporter: right after right -- does this have to be right next to us? >> reporter: i'm cast aside by the hardware. absolutely, as a matter of fact, could you give it a little breathing room? >>. >> reporter: after hearing drew sing -- ♪ me and mrs. jones >> reporter: that trophy was well deserved. it's a duet, really? >> you got to help me. >> reporter: help you? >> yes! >> reporter: karaoke taxi, where anybody can be a rock star. ♪ we'll meet at the same >> reporter: at least for a night. ♪ love me and mrs. jones ♪ >> reporter: francisco drove 1,600 miles from dallas to

invite us here to sing what we're about to sing now. >> it's good. ♪ where it began i can't begin to not it ♪ >> our careers are taking off right now. ♪ it's going strong >> ♪ the fog is on. it's all good. ♪ was in the spring and spring became the summer ♪ ♪ you should come along >> you can rent this for party! >> you can? >> ♪ hands ♪ hands touching hands ♪ reaching out ♪ touching me touching you ♪ >> that's a high one! >> here we go. ♪ sweet caroline ♪ bum bum bum ♪ good times never seemed so

good ♪ ♪ so good so good so good ♪ i've been inclined bum bum bum ♪ ♪ to believe it never would but now i ♪ >> i like this. >> yeah. >> fun. >> it is fun. >> they run the meter? you stop and they run the meter? >> yeah. this is it. >> you just add 47 12-year-old girls, and you've got yourself quite a night. we'll be back after this. ♪ [ female announcer ] start simple. ♪ start right. ♪ kellogg's simple grains cereals take you from seed... ♪ ...to spoon. wi just a few ingredients. ♪ kellogg's raisin bran, corn flakes and rice krispies. simple wholesome goodness. start simple. start right.

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this is another! ta-daa! try charmin ultra strong. it cleans so well and you can use up to four times less than the leading value brand. oh! there it is. thanks son. hey! [ female announcer ] charmin ultra strong has a duraclean texture that can help you get clean while still using less. and it's four times stronger versus the leading value brand. charmin ultra strong helps keep you and your underwear clean. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra strong? that's going to do it for us, right? >> i think it's hard to top it. ♪ >> we'll see you back here tonight for "nbc nightly news." our thanks to -- >> the karaoke cab! tonight from the karaoke cab? >> probably not. ♪ ♪ i should have changed that stupid lock i should have made you leave

your key ♪ [ cheers ] ♪ walk out the door just turn around ♪ ♪ you're not welcome anymore ♪ weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with good-byes and you grumble ♪ ♪ you think i'd lay down and die ♪ ♪ you know that i i will survive ♪ ♪ oh as long as >> amazing that you have soul. you do. it's remarkable. ♪ hey hey ♪ >> oh, the musical influence -- >> diet. >> you know -- there you go. ready? >> here we go. >> go for it. >> bring it on home. ♪ it took all the strength i had not to fall apart ♪ >> bye!

>> good morning. welcome to 11 news saturday morning. customers are starting today the maryland public service commission approved bge request to increase electric and gas rates. a new delegate for baltimore's district. governor o'malley appointed the democrat to fill the vacancy left by the death of patty harrison. the community association and oliver he can noomic corporation since 2004. she is also served as liaison

between oliver community residents and government agencies and businesses. another member of the baltimore ravens super bowl winning team is calling it quits surrounded by students whom he reads to as a part of his foundation. ravens center mat burke announced yesterday he's retiring after 15 years in the nfl. >> why am i retiring? well, i am old. i have 6 kids, and it's just time. i really love football and i have played for a long time and i have been really fortunate. i feel like test time do something else. >> spent 11 years with the minnesota vikings he joined the ravens four years ago. here's a look at what's coming up next on 11 news saturday morning. >> john hopkins hospital is being sued by former patients of

a doctor accused of dirty deeds. the story is coming up. >> here's the fog responding some of it causing slippery conditions and more storms lined up out to the west waiting to come in. the forecast is ahead. >> and bringing the noise all of the way from the streets of london to baltimore. we will stomp around. 11 news saturday m